The Bhagavad Gita appears in the story of the Mahabharata. It is a conversation between Lord Krishna and his devotee and childhood friend, Arjuna. Listening in, we receive the teachings of Lord Krishna as He relates them to Arjuna.
Improve Yourself and Improve the World
Lord Krishna is speaking:
15
One who does not afflict the world, and who is not afflicted by the world, who is free of like and dislike, fear and distress, is dear to Me.
Alternate translation:
One who is not involved with like and dislike suffers no fear or sorrow. Thus unafflicted, one does not afflict the world.
Antithesis:
One who is intent on acquiring what they like and avoiding what they don’t like, is subject to fear and loss, thus afflicing the whole world and everyone in it.
What we do affects everyone, and what others do affects us. We don’t like to go down this road because it means responsibility, and we are trying to get out from under that burden. But we are just going to have to bite the bullet on this one, and accept it. There is nothing you can do about being connected with everyone, but you can do something about the effects.
What we do affects everyone, and what others do affects us.
The New American Dream
It is popular these days, even trendy, to buy only the things that provide convenience and do everything for us. This has unfortunately spilled over into the spiritual community. It is the new American Dream of the spiritually inclined. We want to go to someone who will give us an experience so that we don’t have to do anything or bother with learning anything. We’re done. Now maybe we will become teachers ourselves, and make a little extra money, or maybe even a lot of money. Surely you can see the contradiction here:
Teachers who haven’t learned have nothing to teach.
Also, teachers who have not had considerable experience cannot give you an experience that will be useful to you. Any genuine teacher who has experienced what they teach in their own practice, is not going to sell experiences, paid or free. Although they may have the ability to do this, they will not use it. It will be up to you to be sincerely seeking God/Truth, to be willing to be taught and completely open to this teacher. You must be willing to take a chance. Truth does not come to the faint of heart, the spiritual coward, or to one who avoids learning and practice.
Spiritual development is like anything else:
If you want to advance spiritually and improve your life, you must acquire correct knowledge and put it into practice.
Chasing the American Dream is a losing battle. Few ever find it. Most find its opposite, even when it looks good from the outside. You have gone through many lifetimes by now, so how can you expect that advancement will be instantaneous?
If you just keep doing the same thing over and over again, all you can expect is the same thing.
After all this time, it is preposterous to think that you can suddenly do everything in one fell swoop. If you are trying to jump the gun by finding some spiritual charismatic who will give you an experience, you are not making progress. By not making progress, you are afflicting the entire world and beyond. You are not only not helping yourself, but you are holding everyone else back.
Improving and advancing yourself and your life cannot succeed without spiritual improvement and advancement.
Many years ago, I heard a fellow talk on this subject (he was a very funny guy). He referred to this false dream of happiness as “eat, sleep, mate and defend.” He was saying that this applies to everyone who isn’t sincerely seeking with the willingness to learn, and to practice what is learned. Yet people continue to struggle to get what they want and avoid what they don’t want. They are always in a state of fear, loss, stress and distress. This is a constant in most people’s lives.
Rising above this should be of interest to everyone, but alas, everyone seems to be looking for someone to do it for them. So they continue to eat, sleep, mate and defend, accepting what they shouldn’t and not accepting what they should. They lie to themselves with constant denial saying they are happy when it is obvious (to everyone else) that they are not. Everyone else criticizes them behind their backs while their own suffering continues disguised as happiness. And neither they nor the world are benefited.
This is a sad state of affairs, especially when the remedy for all this suffering is so simple.
As long as you are invested in what comes your way, you are susceptible to misery and suffering. But in a state of equanimity you experience contentment instead, and you not only benefit yourself, you benefit the entire world and everyone in it.
The whole world is one family.
The key to accomplishing this contented state is in the words, “free of like and dislike.” Whatever the object of like or dislike may be, it boils down to desire: If you like it, you probably want it (or want to keep it); if you don’t like it, this amounts to a negative desire to not have it (or keep it). It doesn’t matter if the desire is for a person, a thing, a thought, a feeling or a sensation. It applies everywhere.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that we won’t experience like and dislike, fear and anxiety. But through meditation practiced correctly, we will find that the things that produce these states don’t matter so much anymore, and the rug will be pulled right out from underneath them. Their effects will gradually be mitigated until we become unmoved by them altogether. Finally, we will experience genuine happiness and fulfillment. Understood in this way, the obvious conclusion is…
It is not the desire that is the problem, but your attachment to it.
You get attached to your desires because you think that fulfilling them will bring you happiness. This was Arjuna’s position in chapter one, and what Lord Krishna is spending another seventeen chapters trying to correct. This kind of happiness never lasts. It keeps you locked in a cycle of constantly trying to fulfill desires in order to be happy, and you remain stressed and overburdened. Here are some ideas for you to contemplate that may be helpful to you in letting these attachments go:
Desire is an affirmation of lack.
A desire affirms that you do not have the thing you want and keeps it at bay.
When you can give it up, it will come to you.
There is always more.
If you are ready to get behind this idea and put it to work for yourself (and the rest of us), please read the message below. The pilot of this voyage is Anandi, a long time student of mine.
Namaste (I bow to the divine one you really are),
Durga Ma
durgama.com
Are You a Spiritual Leader in Hiding?
How would you know?
- Deep down you feel that your life has a purpose, but you struggle with the energy to take action.
- You get inspired at the possibility of fulfilling your desire to be a spiritual leader, but struggle with implementing and acting on it.
- You see your relationships as catalysts for mutually beneficial growth, but feel a lack of support and fulfillment while being emotionally drained.
- You know that you are meant to have a positive impact in the world in a big way, but aren’t sure how to do that sustainably while maintaining your current responsibilities.
The good news is, it’s not difficult to change all of this. In fact, it’s easy and takes little effort. The bad news is, no one can do it for you. This is your voyage, your life, and you are responsible for it…..but you don’t have to do it alone.
So now you know…
You are a spiritual leader in hiding and you have a very important life purpose that will have an impact on the world.
That purpose is full of joy, abundance and fulfillment, and is literally waiting for you…
Want to know the next step and how to make it sustainable?
Schedule a Complimentary Discovery Session
We are a new generation of Spiritual Leaders who recognize that abundance, fulfillment and joy are our true nature, and want to have an impact in the world.
In a world that is plagued with stress and overwhelm, the responsibilities and the influence of to-do and should-do is often louder than the call of our true life purpose.
We are a community of knowledge in action. We live in the world discovering and fulfilling our unique life purpose as a demonstration that our true nature is not only available, but sustainable.
Are you ready to take the leap and realize your full potential?
Schedule your complimentary discovery session with Anandi and determine together if this program will get you where you want to go, and remove obstacles between the life you have and the life you want.
Spiritual Leadership Voyager is a 3-month transformational program led by Anandi. Using the power of meditation to awaken and realize your life purpose, you will reduce stress and increase your enjoyment of everyday life while relieving pain and generating more energy to do the things that you want to do.
In a world that moves toward constant overwhelm, this is an opportunity to put the knowledge of meditation into action to catapult your personal and spiritual growth into it’s mastery. During your Voyage, you will be fully supported in integrating what you learn as you go, without the effort you would expect.
- Discover and live your life purpose
- Make an impact in the world
- Stop energy leaks and overwhelm
- Experience life as a celebration of joy, abundance, and fulfillment
We know that our true nature is abundance and that competition is irrelevant. There is more than enough for everyone without needing to take from, or harm, another.
We are people who are committed to fully realizing our true nature of joy, abundanceand fulfillment and then living in the world with that knowledge in action. Aligned with this truth in everyday life we become the leaders who exemplify that possibility of sustainable joy, abundance and fulfillment in our own individual expression.
Successful transformation and growth is seated in wisdom.
The difference between knowledge and wisdom is action.
Are you ready to take action to be the Spiritual Leader you were born to be?
“I can hardly believe my luck! Here I am, doing one of the most effortless things I’ve ever done and finding the keys to change my previous, not-so-good luck. ‘No pain, no gain’ is fast becoming a distant memory.” — Sue, student, Phoenix, AZ
Read More about the program
Questions? Want to know more? Schedule a complimentary discovery session with Anandi:
anandibhagavan@gmail.com
or
Call 860-899-4429
Spiritual Leadership Voyger
12 Weekly Teachings
Self-Emergence Private Session
Experiments & Tools
3 Live Workshops
Private Group on FaceBook
Special Bonus Retreat for Participants
Bonus Retreat at Nature’s Gate
A magical 80-acre spiritual respite for supporting conscious evolution for the new generation of spiritual leaders.
Meditations, relaxation, contemplation, creative integration, reflection, healing and renewal.
Read “Paradise on Earth” to see what your participation in this Voyage can lead to, and get a sense of how it works. — Durga Ma
Every step you take pulls every one of us with you.
